Area gun dealers expect little or no consequence from gun ban expiration

September 18, 2004|By JEFF MAURER, Daily American Staff Writer

A 10-year-old federal ban on assault weapons expired earlier this week, leaving many gun control advocates to predict that a flood of AK-47s, TEC-9s and Uzis will soon hit the market.

But other observers, such as local gun dealers and sport shop owners, said that lifting the federal ban would have little consequence on their business.

"I don't think it will affect my business one way or another," said Rick Sechler of Laurel Sport Shop in Meyersdale. "In this area, the assault weapons aren't a big issue."

The 1994 ban - which prohibited the sale of 19 types of semiautomatic weapons with specific features, such as bayonet mounts, flash suppressers and protruding pistol grips - was largely cosmetic, and the average target shooter or hunter got along fine after it went into effect, dealers said.

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Some independent gun dealers specialize in military-style weapons, but the wider audience for most remains customers who want handguns for personal protection or hunters who don't have much need for the special accessories.

As expected, sales of handguns and rifles used for hunting dominate the local dealers' businesses.

Studies by pro- and antigun groups show conflicting results on whether the ban helped reduce crime.

"Whether they're legal or not, the criminals, if they want them, they're going to get them," said Brett Custer of Custer's Sport Shop in Berlin. "The honest people are the ones hurt by it. The criminals will always be able to get the guns."

Loopholes allowed manufacturers to keep many weapons on the market simply by changing their names or altering some of their features or accessories. In the decade since the law went into effect, similar weapons have been sold without the restricted features and owners have been able to add them later. In addition, guns made before the ban could still be bought and sold, often by collectors.

"You could always sell those guns at gun shows," Sechler said. "The ban had to do with the types of accessories on the guns."

Some predict the biggest change will be the ability of manufacturers and importers to market higher capacity ammunition magazines. Under the ban, the maximum capacity of a magazine was set at 10 rounds.

Some dealers expect the industry to take a while to increase production, and once the banned models return, the mere novelty of them should help spur some sales.

While the federal ban has been lifted, certain restrictions remain in place for people who want to buy assault weapons, including state and federal background checks. The 1993 Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act is separate legislation from the assault weapons ban.

The federal ban on assault weapons being lifted may or may not have a huge effect on gun sales or crime, but it is a victory for those who want to keep the government away from their guns.

"I think the less control the government has the better," Sechler said.

Custer agreed.

"Any time the government's not involved it's probably better for the gun owners."